Tips For Entering Reaper Painting Competitions

[Sirithiliel]

Neat sculpts, the next KS is going to be fun

 

I wish Reaper's breakdown of judging criteria actually reflected how high bases score. Looking at their little percentage breakdown, you would never know that the base was so important . 

[buglips*the*goblin]

7 hours ago, Sirithiliel said:

Neat sculpts, the next KS is going to be fun

 

I wish Reaper's breakdown of judging criteria actually reflected how high bases score. Looking at their little percentage breakdown, you would never know that the base was so important . 

 

A good base would be a plus, but that's not what's losing you points.  I don't generally give critiques, mostly on the grounds that I paint lazy and am not too fussed about competing, but since you really want that gold I know two things keeping it out of reach that you must fix to get there.

 

The first is to make sure you get every mold line.  If you get 99% of them and miss one they will see it and it will cost points.

 

The second is that while your colour sense is amazing and a raw natural gift that can get you far, the actual application is not refined enough.  You need to spend more time tightening it up so it looks as good up close as it does from normal viewing distance.  

 

Those two things are what are costing you the most points, but since you have excellent colour sense then they are relatively easy fixes because they just mean you need a little more time spent making your entries clean and crisp.  

 

I know how badly you want that gold, and how frustrated you are to not get it yet, so that's why I wanted to point those out so you can eliminate them as point-burglars.  

[Guindyloo]

So this is my second gold medal win in Painters, so I think I can speak pretty confidently about what the judges are looking for in that category and it’s not about the base, at least not in its entirety. You need only to look at Rhonda Bender’s work to see quite clearly that it’s not all about the base - Rhonda bases her figures very simply, often doing little more than painting the stock base, but her work as a whole is phenomenal. 

Winning Gold in Painters really is all about the painting and attention to every detail. If you’re leaving mold lines or flash and I can see rubbed off spots of paint or spots where your application was bad/messy/splotchy, you’re not going to win a Gold. This is the same reason that smaller figures are better to attempt in Painters - because it’s less surface area to police and ensure every spot is completely polished. 

I see so many people attempting things like NMM and freehand that they think will score them extra brownie points for attempting advanced techniques, but generally these techniques are more of a hindrance if they’re not executed perfectly. No freehand is better than imperfectly executed freehand. 

 

A nice base will not carry you past unrefined technique any more than using nice colours and having good composition will distract away from bad prep. You have to have every puzzle piece in its place to win Gold in Painters. If you’re missing even just one, you’re going to get a Silver. 

[Sirithiliel]

Andi am trying. I get the same feedback for four years now and have tried over the course of those four years to fix it, without any notable progress

 

People tell me I have improved but in the eyes of the judges I am at the same level I was four years ago when I started trying to paint in the first place 

 

I honestly am beginning to think it just isn't going to happen and to stop entering Painters and Diorama

 

Edited September 3, 2019 by Sirithiliel

[buglips*the*goblin]

1 minute ago, Sirithiliel said:

Andi am trying. I get the same feedback for four years now and have tried over the course of those four years to fix it, without any notable progress

 

People tell me I have improved but in the eyes of the judges I am at the same level I was four years ago when I started trying to paint in the first place 

 

I honestly am beginning to think it just isn't going to happen and to stop entering Painters and Diorama

 

 

My recommendation would be that you pick a piece soonish to give you the most time to work on it, and make it your sole focus.   Find every bit of work you can do on it, keep looking for more work you can do, and do all that work as best you can.  This will give you time to look up specific techniques you can use for specific tasks rather than a general overall improvement.  

 

This may result in only one entry for next year, but if you really went face and eyes into that piece I have every confidence it would be your best yet and if it did not get a gold it would be so close you would definitely snag it with the piece after it.  

 

Your macro painting is great, so all you need now is the tighter micro focus.  It will be a lot of work still, but you need to find specialized problems so you can learn the specialized precise techniques to solve them.  But you can definitely do it if you really really want it.

[StarFyre]

Guindyloo - do you have pics of your gold winning entries?

 

Sirithiliel - im similar.  At Toronto Sword and Brush (a crystal brush qualifier painting comp - next one is this coming saturday and im entering my Bones 4 dragon turtle) :), i've won bronzes and silvers. Never gold.  Even more difficult (its subjective, i know) due to the rules and how its not open system of judging, ive gotten a silver at a golden demon by GW.  

 

Gold in all contests (open system, golden demon, etc) is about perfection or near it. flawless blends, flawless freehand, etc.  I will say at golden demons its almost necessary to have freehand if possible just due to the # of entries and so many being crazy levels of quality, it helps ppl stand out.  If 2 models are painted exactly the same or near each other, the one with good freehand will win, etc. 

 

Basing matters in that it has to fit the model and look good but they generally dont need to be extravagent.  At golden demons atleast, in many cases they remove the model from display bases for that reason and there are rules on the basing for the different categories.

 

Also, remove all mold lines, fill all gaps and in some cases, resculpting a small area may be needed depending on the model and the type of damage/flaw the area has.

 

never been to reapercon but since its open system of judging i assume its closer to crystal brush, etc than golden demon. 

 

Dont stop Siri - keep going :) 

 

for my contest this saturday i'm hoping for bronze/silver but i also take into account my work (i work insane hours, overnights, etc) and have 2 young kids so dont get to paint as much time as i like. been doing my entry since june and its no where near ready, but due to the crazy ocean base (ie. poured resin) had to start doing the deep resin pours since there's like a timing to that.

 

There's a great write up by Vincent Hudon - 3 time slayer sword winner. won a slayer on his first contest entry after 400 hours of work on the model.  Lots of learning -he talks about process and reasons for doing things, several of which are for a contest in mind.  I will find article and link here. (he no longer paints, this article is from like 2006 or so)

 

update: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/105449-painting-magmatrax-tutorial/

 

the first 3 posts ....then it goes into more specifics of the model entry (but worth a read IMHO)

 

Regards,

 

Sanjay

Edited September 3, 2019 by StarFyre

[Highlander]

1 hour ago, buglips*the*goblin said:

 

A good base would be a plus, but that's not what's losing you points.  I don't generally give critiques, mostly on the grounds that I paint lazy and am not too fussed about competing, but since you really want that gold I know two things keeping it out of reach that you must fix to get there.

 

The first is to make sure you get every mold line.  If you get 99% of them and miss one they will see it and it will cost points.

 

The second is that while your colour sense is amazing and a raw natural gift that can get you far, the actual application is not refined enough.  You need to spend more time tightening it up so it looks as good up close as it does from normal viewing distance.  

 

Good points.

 

In the plastic modelling world, the first three criteria for judging are basics, basic, and then basics.  A couple of years ago, at the IPMS Nationals, a mini figure won the best figure award.  For the first time.  Ever.  Because the basics were perfect.  In that world, only after an entry has passed the basics test, the other "nice to have" and embellishments begin to enter.  And, frankly, about 85% of the entries don't pass the basics test.

 

It seems that similarly, in the Reaper world it is, at least, basics and basics.  Mold lines and painting.  Then the other items weigh in.  I saw many "simple" entries that won silvers, and a few golds, that were, essentially, perfect.

 

I have a long way to go to get the basics done.  Mold lines still can defeat me.  Painting may be a bridge too far.

[StarFyre]

14 minutes ago, Highlander said:

 

Good points.

 

In the plastic modelling world, the first three criteria for judging are basics, basic, and then basics.  A couple of years ago, at the IPMS Nationals, a mini figure won the best figure award.  For the first time.  Ever.  Because the basics were perfect.  In that world, only after an entry has passed the basics test, the other "nice to have" and embellishments begin to enter.  And, frankly, about 85% of the entries don't pass the basics test.

 

It seems that similarly, in the Reaper world it is, at least, basics and basics.  Mold lines and painting.  Then the other items weigh in.  I saw many "simple" entries that won silvers, and a few golds, that were, essentially, perfect.

 

I have a long way to go to get the basics done.  Mold lines still can defeat me.  Painting may be a bridge too far.

 

Nonsense - read Vincent's link i pasted above in my long post.  Its just spending the time, etc and be willing to learn.  I haven't spent near the time he talks about in his post but i still improved a lot from the 2007-2009 period.  Now ive made some improvements since then but with the canadian golden demon ending after 2009, no major contests until the more recent sword and brush here, so i havent worked as hard for it and i spent 4 years or so doing mainly large army commissions.  Now trying to get back into that contest mindset and scale.

 

JUst focus and read up on stuff and look at samples and practice :)

 

Sanjay

 

[Sirithiliel]

44 minutes ago, StarFyre said:

 

Nonsense - read Vincent's link i pasted above in my long post.  Its just spending the time, etc and be willing to learn.  I haven't spent near the time he talks about in his post but i still improved a lot from the 2007-2009 period.  Now ive made some improvements since then but with the canadian golden demon ending after 2009, no major contests until the more recent sword and brush here, so i havent worked as hard for it and i spent 4 years or so doing mainly large army commissions.  Now trying to get back into that contest mindset and scale.

 

JUst focus and read up on stuff and look at samples and practice :)

 

Sanjay

 

 

i'll give it a read

[Guindyloo]

33 minutes ago, Sirithiliel said:

Andi am trying. I get the same feedback for four years now and have tried over the course of those four years to fix it, without any notable progress

 

People tell me I have improved but in the eyes of the judges I am at the same level I was four years ago when I started trying to paint in the first place 

 

I honestly am beginning to think it just isn't going to happen and to stop entering Painters and Diorama

 

Siri, no one wants you to be discouraged or to give up. You have always had a natural talent for colour that is exceedingly difficult to learn. You have a huge head start over many other people based on that alone. And it is that talent that people respond so positively to, and rightfully so, and IMO it is colour that you work toward refining the most and that is what you have gotten even better at. People aren’t lying to you that you’ve improved, you have, but you’ve still got a ways to go on your overall work. This is exactly why I have often been highly critical of how lacking in critique the Reaper forum is. It is not doing you any favours when you post something and all you ever hear is the positive things about it.

 

If I just need a mood boost about something I’ve painted, I post it online to get the encouragement from the likes it receives. If I want to actually work toward improving the same piece, I go to friends that I know won’t spare my feelings and will tell me what’s wrong with a piece while the general public is only telling me what’s right with it. That kind of feedback is often easier to get and also give on a 1 on 1 basis. There’s a lot of societal pressure to just be positive because a lot of people think that any critique must be negative. And it’s hard to know, as the person giving the critique, what the person asking for critique is actually expecting. Sometimes people just want to be told that they’re great. Sometimes they’re simply not in a good emotional state to hear it. Sometimes they just did that specific piece for fun and weren’t worried about technique. Some people can be very nasty about receiving anything other than praise. Sometimes other onlookers can be very nasty to the critic for not just giving praise. Sometimes the critic knows when something doesn’t look right but they don’t know how to tell the person to fix it because they’re not experienced enough or at least don’t feel qualified to do so. But because of all that, most people just hit the like button and/or focus on the positive and move on.

 

Moreover, some people simply don’t have a developed artist’s eye and literally cannot see the difference between a Bronze paintjob and a Gold paintjob. You will never get higher praise than you do from someone who doesn’t paint, but it’s not just non-painters who sometimes don’t have a developed artist’s eye because developing that is a skill in itself. It’s one of the keys to becoming a better painter and it’s one of those things that is extremely difficult to pinpoint how best to develop it because it’s all about studying and looking and thinking differently about paintjobs and being honest with yourself. 

 

What I see as being specifically your main issue that is holding you personally back, and bear with me on this, it is because you are a tabletop painter. That is not an insult - I hate when people use “tabletop” as a synonym for “bad” because tabletop painting is not inherently bad, it isn’t a level of painting, it’s a METHOD of painting. In my opinion, they are simply two different methods and they each have their own level. There is bad tabletop and good tabletop. Just as there is bad display painting and good display painting. But that is the trouble you’re having, again this is just my opinion, but your problem and the problem for a lot of people is that you are using tabletop painting methods and expecting a display method result. The MSP Open is being judged on display painting, not tabletop painting. That doesn’t mean you have to be a slow and tedious painter like a lot of us display painters are, you just need to think differently about the way that you’re painting and prepping to paint. I would highly recommend seeking out Aaron Lovejoy’s advice (ie. join the Miniature Monthly patreon) because he does both methods extremely effectively. 

But as a tabletop painter, you are used to painting figures in a way that is most impactful from an arm’s length away so that it looks great on the table. You’re often rushed to get a figure done for game night so sacrifices have to be made and shortcuts taken and that may have made you very impatient when it comes to sitting down and refining a piece. I think that’s an extra hurtle for any painter that paints for the tabletop. You have to fight against those instincts that you’ve developed without slowing down so much that painting becomes tedious. 

 

This is where you have to ask for yourself (not necessarily you specifically, but all tabletop painters) if it is important enough to you to change your methodology in order to chase after medals. It’s ok if it’s not. It’s your hobby and you should do what makes your hobby fun for you. No one else can define that for you. Your goal first and foremost should be to paint whatever way that makes you happy. Only then can you prioritize and refine from there. If you really want to win a Gold, I absolutely believe that you can do it. But you’re not going to do it by deciding to paint pieces a couple of months or weeks before Reapercon. You have to work hard all year and it may take even a couple of more years to get there, but it’s absolutely achievable if it’s what you really want. 

[Sirithiliel]

23 minutes ago, Guindyloo said:

Siri, no one wants you to be discouraged or to give up. You have always had a natural talent for colour that is exceedingly difficult to learn. You have a huge head start over many other people based on that alone. And it is that talent that people respond so positively to, and rightfully so, and IMO it is colour that you work toward refining the most and that is what you have gotten even better at. People aren’t lying to you that you’ve improved, you have, but you’ve still got a ways to go on your overall work. This is exactly why I have often been highly critical of how lacking in critique the Reaper forum is. It is not doing you any favours when you post something and all you ever hear is the positive things about it.

 

If I just need a mood boost about something I’ve painted, I post it online to get the encouragement from the likes it receives. If I want to actually work toward improving the same piece, I go to friends that I know won’t spare my feelings and will tell me what’s wrong with a piece while the general public is only telling me what’s right with it. That kind of feedback is often easier to get and also give on a 1 on 1 basis. There’s a lot of societal pressure to just be positive because a lot of people think that any critique must be negative. And it’s hard to know, as the person giving the critique, what the person asking for critique is actually expecting. Sometimes people just want to be told that they’re great. Sometimes they’re simply not in a good emotional state to hear it. Sometimes they just did that specific piece for fun and weren’t worried about technique. Some people can be very nasty about receiving anything other than praise. Sometimes other onlookers can be very nasty to the critic for not just giving praise. Sometimes the critic knows when something doesn’t look right but they don’t know how to tell the person to fix it because they’re not experienced enough or at least don’t feel qualified to do so. But because of all that, most people just hit the like button and/or focus on the positive and move on.

 

Moreover, some people simply don’t have a developed artist’s eye and literally cannot see the difference between a Bronze paintjob and a Gold paintjob. You will never get higher praise than you do from someone who doesn’t paint, but it’s not just non-painters who sometimes don’t have a developed artist’s eye because developing that is a skill in itself. It’s one of the keys to becoming a better painter and it’s one of those things that is extremely difficult to pinpoint how best to develop it because it’s all about studying and looking and thinking differently about paintjobs and being honest with yourself. 

 

What I see as being specifically your main issue that is holding you personally back, and bear with me on this, it is because you are a tabletop painter. That is not an insult - I hate when people use “tabletop” as a synonym for “bad” because tabletop painting is not inherently bad, it isn’t a level of painting, it’s a METHOD of painting. In my opinion, they are simply two different methods and they each have their own level. There is bad tabletop and good tabletop. Just as there is bad display painting and good display painting. But that is the trouble you’re having, again this is just my opinion, but your problem and the problem for a lot of people is that you are using tabletop painting methods and expecting a display method result. The MSP Open is being judged on display painting, not tabletop painting. That doesn’t mean you have to be a slow and tedious painter like a lot of us display painters are, you just need to think differently about the way that you’re painting and prepping to paint. I would highly recommend seeking out Aaron Lovejoy’s advice (ie. join the Miniature Monthly patreon) because he does both methods extremely effectively. 

But as a tabletop painter, you are used to painting figures in a way that is most impactful from an arm’s length away so that it looks great on the table. You’re often rushed to get a figure done for game night so sacrifices have to be made and shortcuts taken and that may have made you very impatient when it comes to sitting down and refining a piece. I think that’s an extra hurtle for any painter that paints for the tabletop. You have to fight against those instincts that you’ve developed without slowing down so much that painting becomes tedious. 

 

This is where you have to ask for yourself (not necessarily you specifically, but all tabletop painters) if it is important enough to you to change your methodology in order to chase after medals. It’s ok if it’s not. It’s your hobby and you should do what makes your hobby fun for you. No one else can define that for you. Your goal first and foremost should be to paint whatever way that makes you happy. Only then can you prioritize and refine from there. If you really want to win a Gold, I absolutely believe that you can do it. But you’re not going to do it by deciding to paint pieces a couple of months or weeks before Reapercon. You have to work hard all year and it may take even a couple of more years to get there, but it’s absolutely achievable if it’s what you really want. 

 

ah, but see, my entries for this year i worked all year on. I started them immediately after last ReaperCon. 

 

and i know no one, off of the forums, that i can go to for critque. my husband doens't know anything about painting and i have no IRL friends

you make good points, and it just reaffirms my thoughts that contest painting is not for me. I don't enjoy painting tiny human people and stress days over a single eye ball. I like painting big things. I like painting colorfully, and it seems what wins in the contest is dull color schemes rather than colorful ones.

I'll just paint what i find fun, and give up on trying to get gold. i'll work for the large monster trophy, i'm 3 out of 4 years getting it so far, at least that's something i can do.

 

but i'd rather paint things i feel inspired to paint, that i find fun to paint, than agonize for months over something tedious and boring to me

Edited September 3, 2019 by Sirithiliel

[StarFyre]

27 minutes ago, Guindyloo said:

 

This is where you have to ask for yourself (not necessarily you specifically, but all tabletop painters) if it is important enough to you to change your methodology in order to chase after medals. It’s ok if it’s not. It’s your hobby and you should do what makes your hobby fun for you. No one else can define that for you. Your goal first and foremost should be to paint whatever way that makes you happy. Only then can you prioritize and refine from there. If you really want to win a Gold, I absolutely believe that you can do it. But you’re not going to do it by deciding to paint pieces a couple of months or weeks before Reapercon. You have to work hard all year and it may take even a couple of more years to get there, but it’s absolutely achievable if it’s what you really want. 

 

this here. pretty much what Vincent said in that link, brought down to one short paragraph.  Working towards a contest is different than working towards making something look good.  Good isnt enough in a contest.  I'm with you SIri.  I'm not at gold level.  Ive got the focus, model selection, modding, planning, etc down. Just gotta practice more painting :) :) :)  I'll post pics of my dragon turtle once Saturday's contest is done. its no where near gold level at any contest.  I dont know if its even silver (i doubt it). Again i was limited due to my job, kids and the fact i had to start pouring resin.  Just didnt get it as far as i wanted. it happens.   Next time i'll plan that part even better. and if i use resin again, i've learned so much on it and from speaking to military master modellers on it :) its all a process that takes time.

 

one thing i will add, once a person gets better, its possible to paint a top level model much faster.   i'm faster at some stuff now than i was 10 years ago, but thats practice/experience and tools.  If i say it takes a long time, Vincents link says 100s of hours, Guindyloo says months, etc thats all true. but i know folks who do it in a few weeks. BUT they are at a different level and either started like us and spent years reaching that level OR are artists by trade and thus, spend all day painting/sculpting, etc so they get practice in just by waking up each morning.

 

For us, its just spending the time planning and then executing.

 

The most important part -  have fun. if you arent enjoying all the steps for a contest, it may not be worth that stress. I like it. I dont mind just working on 1 model for months. 

 

My process, for sanity - when i work on a contest entry its just that model for the time i need based on when i start.  AFter saturday's contest, i'll go back to watching movies and shows with the wife (haven't in a couple weeks as i try to finish this now) and will finish God of War 4.  Then will do 1 or 2 bones or nolzur's models - like 2-3 days - 5-6 hour paint jobs. just to get them done. something i dont care that much about.  then i start my next project. already know what it will be. not for a contest but something i want to be at contest level.  That will take a few months to do.  Then, another 1 or 2 bones monsters or something quick, etc.

 

I've already started initial work for my sept 2020 entry :) and will get back to that in october with small tasks here and there and then ramp up by march. that entry, is going to be more complicated so needs more time.

 

Just saw Siri's post above this -  I also do monsters. i do not like painting characters/humanoids.  And they can still win.  Look at the 2019 slayer sword winner in the UK.  its crazy.  at the end its still quality. the little things.  perfection, bonuses to stand apart from the rest, etc.

 

Sanjay

Edited September 3, 2019 by StarFyre

[Guindyloo]

1 hour ago, StarFyre said:

Guindyloo - do you have pics of your gold winning entries?

 

I don’t have a pic handy of last year’s, but you can look me up on the Reapercon site - Jenn Bland. 

I’ll put up a Show Off with more pics at some point for my bust, but here’s a couple of pics I have handy that don’t focus on her shoulder like the pic on the Reapercon site does. 

 

 

 

 

[StarFyre]

2 minutes ago, Guindyloo said:

 

I don’t have a pic handy of last year’s, but you can look me up on the Reapercon site - Jenn Bland. 

I’ll put up a Show Off with more pics at some point for my bust, but here’s a couple of pics I have handy that don’t focus on her shoulder like the pic on the Reapercon site does. 

 

 

 

 

yeah i saw that one. one of my fav pieces in the bunch :) :)

 

Sanjay

[OneBoot]

35 minutes ago, TGP said:

 

I was sad I never    got a chance to say hi to you. I tried. I spotted you a few times from way across the room on Saturday (the only day I was there  ) but you were scurrying too fast for real life me. 

 

 I'm so sorry I missed you!! If I'd known you were there I would have come and found you because I was sad I didn't get a chance to say hi to you too. :(

 

Next year I will have a schedule posted at my artist station for when I will be there, so hopefully I'll be easier to find next year! 

 

44 minutes ago, Guindyloo said:

 

What I see as being specifically your main issue that is holding you personally back, and bear with me on this, it is because you are a tabletop painter. That is not an insult - I hate when people use “tabletop” as a synonym for “bad” because tabletop painting is not inherently bad, it isn’t a level of painting, it’s a METHOD of painting. In my opinion, they are simply two different methods and they each have their own level. There is bad tabletop and good tabletop. Just as there is bad display painting and good display painting. But that is the trouble you’re having, again this is just my opinion, but your problem and the problem for a lot of people is that you are using tabletop painting methods and expecting a display method result. The MSP Open is being judged on display painting, not tabletop painting. That doesn’t mean you have to be a slow and tedious painter like a lot of us display painters are, you just need to think differently about the way that you’re painting and prepping to paint. I would highly recommend seeking out Aaron Lovejoy’s advice (ie. join the Miniature Monthly patreon) because he does both methods extremely effectively. 

But as a tabletop painter, you are used to painting figures in a way that is most impactful from an arm’s length away so that it looks great on the table. You’re often rushed to get a figure done for game night so sacrifices have to be made and shortcuts taken and that may have made you very impatient when it comes to sitting down and refining a piece. I think that’s an extra hurtle for any painter that paints for the tabletop. You have to fight against those instincts that you’ve developed without slowing down so much that painting becomes tedious. 

 

This is 120% my biggest hurdle as well, and something I didn't even realize until a couple of months ago. Pretty much all the figures I paint end up on our gaming table (even the ones I've won my broze medals with), and sometimes I paint while gaming.

 

Two months ago MrBoot needed a quick character mini, so I slapped something together super quick and gave it to him. When he put it on the battlefield, I made a rather startling discovery: that piece looked surpisingly good from that distance, and made the pieces I took hours and hours to paint look boring and dull by comparison. 

 

It was very confusing, having everyone at the table complimenting my rushed super sloppy paint job (the eyes were pretty horrific), when they'd seen my other pieces and given me a polite "it looks nice" and handed them back. It caused me to completely reevaluate what I wanted out of my painting, and realizing that my quick starkly contrasted minis were well-suited for gaming, but my more subtle, more technically good pieces were not. It was truly a mind-shattering realization, and while it didn't happen soon enough for this ReaperCon, it gave me a new perspective on what to focus on next year for my display pieces. 

 

I'll continue painting quickly and for fun on my tabletop pieces, but I plan to shift my focus on my display pieces and try to figure out how to paint for display. Truth be told, I've literally never done that before, so it's a whole different way of thinking I'll have to get used to. 

 

@Sirithiliel please don't get discouraged, your pieces are always fun to look at and have tons of personality when I see pictures of them, and as others have said your natural ability with colors is beautiful to see and a big inspiration to me! It's taken me YEARS to figure out what you seem to do so easily! :) 

 

You've got a great solid foundation and the potential in you to win that gold, I can feel it! The advice given here is a good way to start thinking in new ways and trying new things so you can get the results in the competition that you're striving for.

 

EDIT: Missed several posts due to typing. 

 

There's absolutely nothing wrong with changing your goals to focus instead on what brings you joy. I know of at least 2 forum members who decided that the contest experience was not for them, and had a relaxing time at the con not stressing about it. I still think entering is a good thing, if for no other reason than the feedback, but again, do what motivates you to keep painting.

 

Huzzah! 

--OneBoot :D 

Edited September 3, 2019 by OneBoot